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De Four of Us & Friends Boat Ride
Date: Friday 13th July 2007
Location: Bay-Lady. Baltimore, MD
Promotions: Four of Us & Friends
Click on thumbnails to see the big picture/entire gallery

Neither rain, thunder, or lightning or a combination of all three could keep this TJJ reporter from embarking on the Bay-Lady for what proved to be a "bumper" time on Baltimore Carnival Friday night all courtesy of the Four of Us & Friends Productions. Friends, if you are in the Baltimore area next year in July, this boat ride is a MUST! TJJ arrived a little later than planned, however, was still able to capture the 100+ long line waiting peacefully to climb aboard the Soca Ship! No fights, no pushing, no ID drama, just ladies looking very fashionable and stylish and ready to "jumbie" the men on board!

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I must say, the Four of Us did a great job setting the mood to have a rollicking time. It was perfect. The Lower Level featured the sweet, sweet sounds of "Back-in-times" soca and reggae, along with the food and access to seating. DJ's Andy Mixx out of Washington DC and Daddy O from Baltimore controlled the lower level masses with a smooth flow of Baron, Explainer, Stalin.... just to name a few. And let me tell you, these folks were screaming every time a new beat was dropped.... this mature crowd was swaying and grooving and giving a fine display of ballroom dancing to some J'Ouvert style chipping soca and reggae.

Almost too good of a vibe to try the Upper Level... but "dutty" called, and I had to answer. Up the stairs to DJ's Foreign Base out of New York and Golden Touch Crew from Baltimore. WOW! Totally different vibe, and energy! TJJ was instantly swept up in HEAT. Bodies swaying, gyrating, wining, and jamming, to the unique mix of SOCA provided by Foreign Base. I was reminded why I LOVE attending a SOCA fete! There was no warming up, no waiting for the vibe to feel right... to take a wine, to abandon yourself to the sweet sounds of Machel and the Akon remix! This boat ride had some FIT and CAPABLE Caribbean brothers. TJJ was amazed at how many of them were willing to lift women of various sizes and stature bodily into the air while still wining and moving several feet at a time!

Now... every true Soca Soldier knows the crucial ingredients for a Soca fete - if you said anything else but Rum, Woman and Soca, you need to go back to training camp! Having the bar close at 1:30AM, when the ride goes till 4AM, was a little tough on the partygoers. Trust me, after dancing to Fay Ann, Destra and Machel, you will be sober to walk off that boat... so just a suggestion to keep the bar open a little longer or allow folks to bring coolers or something. Nothing like Rum and Soca to keep Caribbean folks happy! Of course, there is no way you could expect Caribbean people to obey an ending time of 4AM.... at 4:30, the security guards were "shooooooing" us off the boat…still rocking to "Jumbie". We readdddyyyyy.... ready for mas again!

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Related Galleries
Baltimore Carnival 2007 - Gala Center